CHANDIGARH: With the recovery rate of Covid-19 reaching 97% and
active cases too declining significantly, testing has also come down. From January 1 until January 12, there has been 21% reduction in the testing of samples and the number of cases has declined by 43% as compared to the previous month in the corresponding days.
The city has also reached the third slot in the weekly daily growth of cases. The national average of the weekly cases is 0.17%, while the city stands at 0.29% after Kerala and Chhattisgarh. Also the total positivity rate for a week is 4.8%, while the national average is 2.1%.
The city stands third in this slot too after Kerala and Maharashtra with 9.2% and 6.3%, respectively. However, in tests per million, Chandigarh is at the 17th slot. The adjoining states of Punjab and Haryana have higher tests per million than Chandigarh, which has 617 tests per million, which is higher than the national average of 486.9.
“These figures indicate that the tests have come down across the country and there are low active cases due to this as well. The infection transmission has reduced. In fact, the testing must be enhanced so that there is better regulation,” said a public health expert in PGI.
While there is a hope with the Covid-19 vaccines, most of the experts have been cautioning about strict adherence to wearing masks and observing social distancing.
“The flu clinics are almost empty these days as few people come for tests. Most of the samples are taken from patients who need admission in the hospitals,” said a doctor at GMSH-16. He said, “Initially, there was a fear and now there is a sense of fatigue.”